Do machines and humans translate in the same sense?

Human and machine translation share several features, one of which is actions that are not motivated by meaning. In addition, the human process often consists initially in the semi-conscious production of literal translations that are only weakly motivated by meaning. A definition of the translation process is proposed, based on these features. Since key words in the definition are ‘matter’ and ‘meaning’, I suggest a speculative view of how matter and meaning are connected in the mind. I tentatively conclude that the answer to the title question is yes. The argument is bolstered by textual examples of both human and machine translation.